Advantages of reading French in American School

Lower School Curriculum

The French School in Chicago delivers a comprehensive academic program of reading, writing, language, math, history, and science in English and French. The table below outlines the structure of the program. It consists of three distinct Cycles.

The bilingual journey begins in Maternelle. Children enter at Pre-K3, Pre-K4 or Kindergarten. Firstly, children advantage from classes that are conducted in French 80% of the time. After second grade we switch to almost 55% French and 45% English in order to capitalize on the “transfer of competencies” between the two languages.

Why French?

French is spoken by over 220 million people on five continents in 80 states and governments. Although more people speak Chinese, Hindi, Spanish and Arabic, French is spoken in more countries – over a greater geographical area– than any of these, making French second only to English as a global language. French is also an official language of NATO, INTERPOL, and the United Nations.

Bilingualism, a world of possibilities

At the French American School, we trust in the trans formative powers of a bilingual education. Exposing a child to more than one language at a young age is vital. This early revelation takes full advantage of a child’s innate language-learning abilities and natural curiosity about the world.

Of course, as a school enthusiastic to bilingual learning and bilingual education programs, we also keep a careful eye on the research in the field.

The Early Years:

When a youngster learns a language, she begins by listening and receiving used to the sound of different words. Then progressively, he begins to imitate some of these sounds, words, and later, sentences. Our curriculum reconstructs the initial language learning procedure that develops between a parent and a young child. The language is spoken, not taught. Children primarily learn French in the classroom, the same way they have learned their native tongue at home. Our teachers adopt a painterly and lively way of expressing themselves, pointing, miming, and amplifying facial expressions voices to guide children carefully through the learning process.

Our students advance a positive relationship with teachers and peers and the classroom space becomes a familiar place that they enjoy during their preschool years. Children are tremendously sensitive and rely as much on tone of voice, facial expression and context as on actual meaning. There are many words in both French and English that a young child does not understand and it is not unusual for him or her to guess the meaning of words. In the our Maternelle curriculum, students learn in French for the majority of their time. English language lessons are envisioned to nurture a love of reading and develop their learning skills. Our students soon become very proud of their new ability to speak another language, and teachers reinforce and encourage their progress daily.

Covering All the Bases; The Elementary Years:

When a student goes to school in America, our faculties, followed the French curriculum, delving into subjects like the history of the ancient Gauls and the French monarchy, and mastering significant concepts in grammar, science and math. Similarly, the average student in the Rhode Island student studies American History, English reading and grammar, or computer technology according to established standards for his grade level. Here, we do it all. How is it that our school can cover all this material in similarly the French and American systems?

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